Managing difficult thoughts and feelings

It is difficult to know what changes a cancer diagnosis may bring to your life. This uncertainty means that it’s common to experience a range of difficult feelings and emotions.

Although you cannot prevent these feelings, there are steps you can take to understand and manage them.

The following sections give advice and techniques that can help you when you encounter difficult thoughts and feelings. Using these techniques can also help you feel proactive in managing and improving your own emotional wellbeing.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a term we use to describe being aware of what you are thinking and feeling from moment to moment. When you are aware of what you are thinking, you can start to recognise when you are caught up in thoughts that are not helpful. And once you begin to notice signs of stress and anxiety you can take steps to deal with them earlier and more effectively.

This technique allows you to stand back from your thoughts and choose to pay attention to the world around you instead.

The Psychology team at the Velindre Cancer Centre have created a Mindfulness app that provides mindfulness and relaxation exercises. You can download the app for free:

• Velindre Mindfulness App (App Store)
• Velindre Mindfulness App (Google Play)

Doing something that matters to you

Think about what you value in life and what matters most to you.

Investing your time to think about what your values are can make you feel better emotionally and provide a sense of purpose.

Values are things we care about and are connected to, and they can guide us when we take committed action. Setting values-based goals can help you find opportunities to live your values.